Music book or folio



(No Model.)

W. H. AYRES;

MUSIC BOOK 0R FOLIO.

No. 495,870. Patented Apr. 18, 1893.

WITNESSES. INVENTOH A rTo/awEYs.

UNITED STATES EErcE.

PATENT MUSIC BOOK OR FOLIO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 495,870, dated April18, 1893. Application filed August 18, 1892- Serial No. 443,363. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. AYRES, of Sacketts Harbor, in the countyof Jefferson and'State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedMusic Book or Folio, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of music books orfolios which are adapted to be supported upon portable music racks; andthe object of my invention is to produce a cheap, simple, and strongbook or folio which is constructed without the use of mucilage, glue, orother adhesive substances which are likely to give way, which is adaptedto be folded with its covers back to back and held in position forconvenient use, which has means for fastening the several leaves orsheets so that none of the music will be hidden either by the rack orthe fastener, which has its sheets or leaves attached so that theycannot possibly give way under any ordinary usage, which is constructedso that any desired number of sheets or leaves may be quickly andstrongly fastened in place, and which in general is better adapted forordinary use than the music books or folios generally employed.

To these ends my invention consists in certain features of constructionand combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described andclaimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the closed book or folio. Fig. 2 is a planwith thebook opened and the covers folded back to back and fastened inplace. Fig. 3 is a broken plan of the opened book. Fig. 4 is alongitudinal section on the line 44. in Fig. 2, and with the coverspartially opened; and Fig. 5 is a broken sectional plan on the line 5-5in Fig. 2, and with the parts very much enlarged to clearly show theconstruction.

The book or folio is provided with the usual covers 10 of board or othersuitable material, and these have at their meeting ends strips ofmetallic binding 11, each strip being doubled over the edge of theboard, as shown clearly in Fig. 5, and the binding strips are fastenedby rivets 12 or other suitable fasten- V ings. Near opposite endportions of the strips 11 and on the edges of the same are eyes 13 whichare preferably formed of wires 14, held in the loops of the strips 11,although the eyes may be produced in any convenient way, and the eyesengage split rings 15 which are like the common key rings, and the ringsserve as hinges for the covers and enable the covers to be easilyseparated when necessary. The rings 15 also serve as means of attachmentor hinges for the sheets of music 16 which are held between the coversin the usual way.

The sheets 16 of music have their binding ends held between metallicstrips 17 and 18, and on the strip 17 are produced prods or prongs 19which are formed by striking them from the body of the metal, and theseprods or prongs are adapted to be pushed through the material of thesheets 16 and through the slots 20 in the opposite strips 18, afterwhich the prongs are doubled or bent over upon the strip 18, as shown inFigs. 2 and 5, and the music sheets are thus securely fastened together.The strip 17 is made slightly wider than the strip 18 and is doubledover at one edge, as shown at 21, so as to hold in place a wire 14 likethat already described, and the wire is formed into eyes 13 at pointsnear the end portions of the strip, and these eyes are adapted to engagethe rings 15 which thus serve to hold them and the connected musicsheets in place. Each two strips will bind two sheets of music back toback, and with their printed sides outward; and any number of the stripsmay be used until the rings are full. It will be seen then that thestrips and covers are all held together by a metallic binding, but theconnection is so loose that the covers may be easily placed back to backand the sheets may be folded upon either cover. On one of the coversnear its free end and on one side edge, is secured a metallic strip 22which carries a keeper 23, the length of the keeper being parallel withthe cover. In this keeper is secured an elastic band 24 which is adaptedto be placed over the end portions of the covers 10 and the music sheets16, thus binding the free edges of the covers and sheets together. Thekeeper is longer than the band 2 1 is wide, so that the band may beadjusted longitudinally of the covers and made to fit over the extremeend portions of the sheets 16 so as not to obscure the music, and theband may also be made to hold the sheets even though they be very short.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that when the covers arefolded back to back and the music sheets placed against either of them,the operation may be very easily and quickly performed without the leastdanger of injuring the book or folio. It will also be seen that anordinary rack may be attached to the back cover of the folio so as matto obscure the music sheets on the front s1 e.

Any number of the strips may be filled with sheets of music and can beplaced in the folio as desired, or changed at any time by removing onecover from the rings and adding or removing strips to or from the rings,whereupon the cover may be replaced and the folio is complete.

It will be seen that if more music sheets are to be added or if those inuse are to be replaced by others, it is only necessary to straighten outthe prongs 19, separate the strips 17 and 18, and attach the new musicin the manner already described.

Having thus described my. invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A music book or folio, comprising covers andsheets having eyes pivotally connected thereto, and split rings engagingthe eyes, substantially as described.

2. A music book or folio, comprising covers and sheets having bindingstrips at their inner ends and provided with eyes pivoted thereto by thesaid binding strips, and split rings engaging the eyes, substantially asdescribed.

3. A music book or folio, comprising suitable covers having metallicstrips at their binding edges, eyes held in the loops of the strips,split rings held to engage the eyes,

music sheets having separable metallic binding strips at their innerends, and eyes held in thecloops of the binding strips of the sheets andadapted to engage the binding rings of the covers, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a music book or folio, the combination with the leaves, of bindingstrips of unequal width, the wider strip having an eye pivoted thereto,one of the said strips being provided with prongs and the other withopenings to receive the said prongs, substantially as herein shown anddescribed.

5. The combination with the covers and their connecting binding rings,of the musicsheets held between the covers, the separable strips adaptedto bind between them the ends of the music sheets, a fastening device tosecure the binding strips together, and eyes produced upon the edge ofone of the strips and adapted to engage the binding rings, substantiallyas described.

WILLIAM H. AYRES.

Witnesses:

HENRY SCHROEDER, WILLIAM OSTERMANN.

